Tire protector and antiskid device



I Nov. 11, 1924. 1,515,287

. M. SZPAK TIRE PROTECTOR AND ANTISKID DEVICE Filed Nov. 22, I925 FIG. 10

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Patented Nov. 11, 1924.

MIKOLA SZPAK, 0F WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

TIRE PROTECTOR AND ANTISKID DEVICE.

Application filed November 22, 1923. Serial No. 676,398.

T 0 all 10 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, MIKoLA SZPAK, acitizen of Ukraine, residing at Woonsocket, in the county of Providenceand State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Tire Protectors and Antiskid Devices, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in combined tireprotectors and anti-skid devices.

An important object of the invention is to provide a protector for atire casing tread which may be quickly and easily applied thereto. l

A further object of the invention is to provide a protector of the abovenoted type with removable elements which project radially outwardlytherefrom and act as antiskid devices for increasing the tractionability of the tire.

A still further objectof the invention is to provide improved means forremovably securing the anti-skid elements to the protector and forassociating the said antiskid elements With the tread of the tirecasther objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame, 7

Figure 1 is a side elevational view illustrating a wheel. and tire withthe tire protector and anti-skid device operatively mounted thereon,

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the protector secured to thetire and wheel supporting the same with the antiskid elements projectingoutwardly therefrom, p v

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view showing the manner of associatingthe inner projecting end of the anti-skid elements with the tread of thetire casing,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view illustrating thedetail features of construction possessed by the anti-skid elements andthe portion of the protector associated therewith and the manner of associating the said anti-skid elements with the tire casing tread,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken upon line VWV of Fig. 4,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of illustration is shown apreferred embodiment of this invention, the combined rotector andanti-skid device is illustrate as operatively mounted upon an automobilewheel wherein the reference numeral 1 designates the tire casing whichis mounted upon the wheel rim 2. The protector is formed of sections 3which act as a sheath for enclosing the tire casing 1 and areconstructed of any suitable flexible material, such as leather, rubber,or canvas and substantially completely encircle the tread surface andouter side walls of the tire casing 1. To retain the protecting sheathin position upon the tire casing, the inner edges of the said sectionsare provided with apertured extensions 4 with which tie devices 5 suchas cords or chains are associated, the said tie devices passing aroundthe felly 2 for anchoring the sheath in position as shown in Fig. 2. Theadjacent ends 3 of the sheath sections 8 are connected together by meansof the resilient tie elements 5 i which are preferably in the form ofcoiled spring sections, or the like;

The sheath sections 3 are provided with suitably spaced apertures formedin the portion: of the samethatoverlies the tread of the tire casing 1and. the said apertures are adapted for receiving the anti-skid elementswhich, in this particular showing,

are the metallic spurs 6. The said spurs 6 are provided with reducedneck portions 7 which carry at their inner ends enlarged, substantiallysemi-spherical, inwardly directed heads 8, as illustrated. It will beseen by this construction, that the enlarged heads 8 are intended to beforced through the apertures formed in the sheath sections 3 and thereduced neck portions will thereby be positioned within the saidapertures and the outwardly and inwardly projecting portions, the bodiesof the spurs and the enlarged heads respectively, will tendto retain thesaid spurs in their respective apertures.

With the protector and anti-skid device in position upon atire casing,the latter being usually provided with a rough tread in the form ofdepressions and projections, the enlarged'heads 8 of. the spurs, 6Willinterlock with the depressions and projections, to prevent creepingmovement of the sheath upon the tread of the tire l, and where a smoothtread tire is employed, the heads 8 will sink into the tread, as at 9,or depressions may be provided therefor to hold the sheath in positionon the tire.

It will be noted that should any of the spurs 6 become damaged or wornout, the same may be readily removed from the sheath and new onesinserted in lieu thereof, merely by disengaging the head 8 from the spur6 as by breaking or sawing off, as will be apparent to those skilled inthe art. For the purpose of reinforcing the walls of the aperturesformed in the sheath sections 3, there is illustratedin detail in Figs.l to 6 inclusive a manner of accomplishing this purpose. It is intended,in forming the sheath sections 3 from molded material, suchas rubber orplastic fibrous material, to'embed in the wall of each aperture a ring10 which is formed by a continuous coil spring. Itwill be seen that thisspring ring 10 has a portion of each convolution projecting inwardly orwithin the said apertureand exposed to view. There is also provided asplit ring 11 which is formed from a single strand of wire and isembedded in the sheath section within the bore of the coil ring 10 andsubstantially in engagement and traversing the embedded portions of eachconvolution of the said ring 10. It will be noted, by inspecting Fig. 6,that both of the rings 10 and 11 are concentrically arranged in respectto the apertures; in the sheath sections. It will be seen, by thisconstruction, that the reduced neck portion 7 of each spur 6 engages theexposed portions of the convolutions of the coil ring 10 and the saidneck is thereby provided with a metallic seat. The particular formationsof the rings 10 and 11 will, however, give or flex a sufticient amountto permit the enlar ed head 8 of the spur to be forced through theaperture. The. reinforcement for the said apertures will prevent thesame from becoming enlarged, due to wear and will greatly aid inretaining the said spurs in their proper apertures.

For the purpose of preventing the spurs from fulcruming at their pointof connection with the sheath sections 3, the outer surface'of thesemi-spherical head 8, shown in Fig. 4, is provided with corrugations 8which extend circumferentially around the said head, as illustrated. InF 7, there is shown a, spur 6 having an enlarged head 8 which isprovided with corrugations 8 which extend radially outwardly from theaxis of the spur, designated by the numeral 8. It will be seen, byconsidering the formations of the heads illustrated in Figs. 4 and 7,that the same will not only frictionallyj engage the depressions formedin the tread portion of the tire casing 1, but will also formcorrugations which will cooper ate with the said corrugations 8 or Q forpreventing all shitting of the said heads in respect to the tire casing1.

it is to be understood that the forms of this invention herewith shownand described are to be taken as; preferred examples of the same, andthat various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may heresorted to without departing rrom the spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described the invention, l c aim i, In combined tireprotector and antiskid device, a flexible sheath having a series ofsuitably spaced apertures and adapted to enclose the tread portion of atire casing, means for connecting said sheath to the wheel, reinforcingmeans carried by the walls of said apertures formed in the flexiblesheath, and anti-skid devices embodying a plurality of spurs, eachhaving a reduced neck intermediate its ends and adapted to be connectedtosaid sheath by forcing the inner end through one of said reinforcedapertures.

52. In a combined tire protector and antiskid device, a sheath made offlexible material having aseries of's'uitably spaced apertures andadapted to enclose the tread portion of a tire casing, means forconnecting said sheath to the wheel, metallic reinforcing meanspartially embedded in the walls or said apertures, and anti-skid devicesem.- bodying a plurality of spurs, each having a reduced neckintermediate its ends, and adapted to be connected to said sheath byforcing the inner end through one of said reinforced apertures until thereduced neck engages the exposed portion of the reinforcing means.

3, In a combined tire protector and a tiskid device, a flexible sheathhaving a series of suitably spaced apertures and adapted to enclose thetread portion of a tire casing. means for connecting said sheath to thewheel, reinforcing means carried by the walls of said apertures formedin the flexible sheaths, and anti-skid devices embodying a plurality ofspurs, each having a re duced neck portion and an enlarged semisphericalhead at its inner end which is provided with a roughened outer surface,said spurs being adapted to be connected to said sheath by forcing theenlar ed heads through the reinforced apertures in the sheath.

4a In a combined tire protector and antiskid device, a sectionalflexible sheath having a series of suitably spaced apertures and adaptedto enclose the tread portion of a tire casing, means for connecting saidsheath to the wheel, metallic reinforcing IOU means for the aperturesformed in said flexible sheath, and anti-skid devices embodying aplurality of spurs, each having a reduced neck intermediate its ends andadapted to be connected to said sheath with the said reduced neckpositioned within one of said apertures, said reinforcing means for theapertures consisting of a ring formed from a continuous coil of wirepartially embedded in the wall of the aperture and having a portion ofeach convolution projecting into said aperture. i

5. In a combined tire protector and anti skid device, the combinationwith a tire oasing having a series of suita'bl spaced semisphericaldepressions forme in its tread ortion, of a flexible sheath adapted toenclose the tread portion. of the tire and having a series of suitablyspaced apertures which are adapted to aline with the depressions formedin the tire tread, and anti-skid devices embodying a plurality of spurseach having a reduced neck intermediate its ends and an enlargedsemi-spherical head at its inner end which is provided with a corrugatedouter surface, said spurs being adapted to be connected to said sheathwith the reduced neck portions positioned within the apertures in thesheath and with the enlarged head portions seated'within the depressionsformed in the tire tread.

In testimony whereof affiX my signature.

MIKOLA SZPAK.

